The Vancouver Opera has announced it has commissioned B.C. slam poet Shane Koyczan to pen the libretto to an anti-bullying opera.

Currently titled Stickboy and based loosely on Koyczan’s book of the same name, the opera will make its world premiere at the Vancouver Playhouse in October 2014.

Koyczan recently went viral with his To This Day video, which has gathered close to 10 million views on YouTube and has generated a hefty amount of discussion on the topic of bullying, especially following the death of teenager Amanda Todd.

Stickboy, he said, will be different.

“Stickboy (the book) is about my experiences growing up, being bullied and becoming a bully and what that meant to me growing up,” Koyczan said in a phone interview.

“It’s a challenge for me,” he added when asked about working within the realm of an opera. “It’s a genre I’m not really familiar with.”

Koyczan will begin working on the libretto in September, with Vancouver composer Jordan Nobles writing the music. Nobles first worked with Koyczan on We Were Here, a spoken word play presented at the Firehall Arts Centre in 2009.

Koyczan was also a prominent figure during the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, where he delivered his famous poem We Are More.

“I want to create a piece that can connect with multiple generations,” Koyczan said. “That’s what I enjoy about my shows. My demographic audience is so wide in range and this subject in particular needs to be approached by both ends.”

Koyczan, who was on his way to the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival in Colorado, added that he was looking forward to making a “modern” opera.

“I think it’s going to be a beautiful fit,” he said. “Opera is the original marriage of words and music, and there’s a theatre element, a dramatic element. It’s right up my alley.”

This will be Koyczan’s second commissioned work for the opera after writing and performing a poem at the opera company’s gala fundraiser in 2012.

Vancouver Opera associate conductor and chorus director Leslie Dala has been announced as the musical dramaturge, while stage director Rachel Peake will take on the role of stage dramaturge.

“It’s important for us as a company to reflect the issues that affect our community,” Vancouver Opera general director James Wright said in a statement sent to The Vancouver Sun. “We have a long history of exploring current events through the work we present on stage and bullying is certainly one that needs to be addressed right now. The power and sensitivity of Shane’s words combined with the strength and beauty of Jordan’s music will tackle bullying in an incredible way.”

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